You’re learning how to adult and find your way through creating the life you really want. No one taught you about financial literacy, health insurance claims, property taxes, 401ks, meal prepping, and all the other things you need to know to get build an easy going and peaceful life. You’re taking in advice from your co-workers, trusted mentors, and YouTube; it’s like you’re drinking from the firehouse and psyched to put your newfound knowledge into practice. You come home to your partner, excited to tell them everything you’ve been thinking about and all the ways the two of you are going to take control and master adulting by next week, but as you lay out the master plan, your partner looks like a deer in the headlights.
You’re surprised, but give the benefit of the doubt that they were tired or just didn’t have the knowledge yet. So you send them all the resources, books, and worksheets needed to get on board. As you keep bringing it up, you notice your partner pulling away, starting to get annoyed, and the more you try to convince them to see your points, the more they resist. Eventually the defensiveness takes over and conflict erupts.
After hours of endless fighting, somehow you’ve made a break through and learned some really important information about each other that makes the past few weeks of tension finally make sense. It’s felt like your goals were at odds, but now that both of you have gotten honest with each other about your positions, you realize this is the first time you’ve talked about the underlying issues in a real way. You’ve put so much pressure on yourself to achieve goals and meet society’s expectations of what you “should” be doing in life, and your partner has taken every suggestion as a criticism and message that they are not enough. It’s what needed to happen, but this dynamic taking over for the past few weeks has worn y’all down and you’re both questioning how to manage these issues moving forward. You know there’s a need for healthy communication, more honesty and boundaries, and a commitment to never again treat your partner like the enemy. I can help you grow from here in a positive direction and take your relationship to the most connected you’ve ever been.
My Philosophy
Hi, I’m Magdalena, counseling intern in League City, Texas. I am passionate about walking side by side with my clients, empathetically listening and responding to your needs, providing support, and intentionally guiding you towards your goals. I want to hear your story, get to know the real you, imagine what your ideal life could be, and together we’ll rewrite the next chapter. What if your life and relationship could look like whatever you wanted it to? I’ll help you get there.
I help couples get out of their own way to figure out what works and doesn’t work so you can create an intentional relationship as a team.
I love working with clients who are invested in making real changes in their lives and relationships, and are committed to having hard, and sometimes, scary conversations. I believe each person has a unique story to tell, and I want to help you see and tell it in a way that leads you to living a fulfilling life. I’ll show you compassion for your struggles, and guide you in new ways to gain perspectives that are healthier, more adaptive, and lead to important behavioral changes.
I have a belief that individuals truly want to be happy in their relationships and within themselves. Avoiding hard discussions, ignoring things that bother us deep down, and using small issues that arise as conduits for undercovering deeper issues are common themes for couples. These are behaviors almost all couples engage in from time to time, although none of them are helpful in maintaining healthy communication or a meaningful connection. In the end, you’re still invested and giving energy to the relationship, which tells me that you’re not ready to give up. The good news is that I’m not ready to give up either, and I have a love for working with couples who are committed and understand relationships take effort. Once you are able to get the issues out on the table and tackle them head on, you’ll be able to move forward.
My Approach
I am passionate about working with clients who have lost their way, desire to have a strong relationship, and are unsure of where to start in an effort to make things better. I understand that the quickest way to resolve your issues is to learn new ways to communicate, both in and out the therapy room with someone to offer guidance and feedback. Sometimes when we slow down, we can hear and see so much we never realized before. My goal is to help you gain awareness of how you talk to each other, and how you talk about yourself in order to change your story starting today. I have the tools to teach you the skills, but I’ll also challenge you in ways that encourage movement and change. I want to get to know who both of you really are, listen with intention, and guide with compassion.
Qualifications/Education
I am currently enrolled at University of Houston Clear Lake in Houston, TX in the Professional Counseling program and expect to graduate December 2024. I have experience working with children and families to help them regulate, understand emotions, and gain actionable skills to feel better. I am a counseling intern under the supervision of Erika Labuzan-Lopez (LMFT-Supervisor No. 202082, LPC-Supervisor No. 71690). Erika and I discuss each case, develop treatment plans together, and consult on areas of sensitivity.
Areas of Interest:
